Vintage Western . . .

We knew we were having a baby. We knew the baby would have to share a room with someone. As soon as we knew the baby was a boy, we determined that RedDog would be the lucky recipient of the tiny roommate since he had the largest room and the most agreeable personality.

I knew I wanted to make some changes to the room. I knew I could only make slight changes so RedDog wouldn't feel like I'd done away with his room to make way for the baby. I knew I had a limited budget and I would have to shop the house for decor ideas. And I knew that I had enough items to go with a vintage western "theme" {term used VERY loosely here}.

There are people who go all out with Western themed bedrooms for kids. I'm talking denim and chaps and fringe and rope and cowhide {although a cowhide rug can be totally killer!} and bandannas and saddles and horseshoes and large as life stuffed horses and beds shaped like chuck wagons that only cost $14,918.00 {Yeah, I'm serious. Don't believe me? Click here.}

But that's just not how I roll. I like to play it a little more subtle than that. Lucky for me, the Hubby's got some real cowboy ancestry. It sure came in handy when the room went together!

The boots on the right belonged to my father-in-law when he was a boy. The boots on the left graced the feet of my sweetheart as he helped his "paw" and "grandpaw" and learned to work.

This old lantern was handed down to me from the Queen. While it's more than likely a flea market find than family heirloom, I like to imagine a pioneer family using it at night to light their covered wagon as they read from the Bible before going to sleep on the windswept plains {and since I'm playing pretend, maybe that bear was cut from a quilt used to cover that pioneer family}.

Every Western themed room needs a sturdy horse. This one has been a part of my family since I was a child in Germany. My kids have all tried to ride it, which is why stirrups and wheels are no longer in tact.

The base of the horse is a perfect place for RedDog's special rock collection, Ollie's new soft teddy, and a reminder for children young and old: dream!

This hat is the real deal. It belonged to Great Grandpa Lee. I love watching my kids put it on. There is something special about the way a hat this big just envelopes a little head in a cocoon of wonder and imagination.

Above Ollie's crib are photos of his grandpa and great uncle dressed up as cowboys in their early youth. These pictures are a complete riot and make me smile every time I'm changing a diaper! Ollie loves to stare up at the dark frames against the light walls.

The color palette of browns and brick red was not easy to shop for when it came to crib bedding. I settled for a mixed dot affair from Target and a very soft dotted bumper from Babies R Us. The crib was generously donated to us by my sis-in-law Audrey after I broke our crib while trying to assemble it.

Simple cornice boxes with architectural star details echo other star details around the room. Simple bedding adorns a great Ikea bed with dust ruffle made by the Queen {from a set of Ikea drapes}.

And then there's this sweet little lambie, representative of all things innocent who was a gift from a very special friend. He stands guard over the basket of delicious creams and lotions I use to make Ollie smell almost edible each day. Soon he will take his place in the arms of Ollie as a most beloved playmate and companion, because every little cowboy needs a pet.

The total cost to pull this room together was $20 - and that was for the sheet and dust ruffle on the crib. Everything else was already in my house. I did repaint a few things to go with the new color scheme, but was surprised by how much I didn't need to buy! If you're tired of a space in your house, look around and see what you're using elsewhere that just might work to spruce things up a bit!

ps. Just found out that Nie Nie is going to be on Oprah tomorrow (Wed. Oct 7th). Please tune in and support my blog hero! {That would be Nie, not Oprah . . . I could care less about Oprah}